Tower Made of Cards
by Deathangel113
Summary: Each greatness, each weakness, each individual built themselves up higher and higher and only some were destined to fall.
1. Card 0 and XXII: The Fool

**Disclaimer: Death Note is the property of Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata. I hold neither ownership nor affiliation.**

_Author's Note: This is a response to the challenge "22 Tarot" by Kerrigan Sheenan on Lunaescence Archives._

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Card 0 and XXII: The Fool

The world was his. Standing on top of the building, he looked out at the city. Below him, he could see cars driving down the streets and people walking down the sidewalk. From up here, they looked like ants, insignificant little dots. They were ignorant, but they were beginning to understand now. They were beginning to see the world that they were living in and what he was doing to fix it. They knew that the time was drawing close.

It was not yet time though. His ascension was drawing closer, but he had to get rid of that troublesome person that was moving against him. It would not be too difficult though. He was only a minor obstacle.

The corners of his lips curved up in a wholly amused grin. His yellow eyes remained focused on the numbers above the man's head.

Humans were truly ignorant.


	2. Card I: The Magician

**Disclaimer: Death Note is the property of Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata. I hold neither ownership nor affiliation.**

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Card I: The Magician

Too easily could he pass from this world to the Earth. The bridge between worlds was nothing more than a simple object. It had but to be touched and the door was opened, the bridge crossed, the worlds merged.

He was only a messenger. The rules forbade him from certain things, but they could not prevent him from relieving his boredom. When one had eternity, amusement had to be found in one form or another.

There were perks to being a god and having immanence. The others would waste it, but he could not. It was a crime to do so and it allowed him some time to stretch his wings.


	3. Card II: The High Priestess

**Disclaimer: Death Note is the property of Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata. I hold neither ownership nor affiliation.**

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Card II: The High Priestess

Kira. He was not like any serial killer that had existed before. His arm could stretch far and he was able to murder in a different manner then what was in his usual profile. It was so clear.

If only Raye had seen that. If only he had listened to her. She should have persisted. Why hadn't she? Why had she backed down?

Now Kira was beside her. This Light Yagami, he seemed innocent enough, but it was just a front. She had seen the facade too many times before. She had seen those eyes too many times before. He was Kira. He had to be.

This boy...

Why had no one else seen it sooner?

Why had he taken Raye?


	4. Card III: The Empress

**Disclaimer: Death Note is the property of Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata. I hold neither ownership nor affiliation.**

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Card III: The Empress

The numbers above their heads were descending rapidly. Most had several years to live, but others were on the brink of death and did not even realize it.

The knowledge that she had nothing more then to take out the Death Note and write down their names and their lives would be snuffed out was a powerful thought. She had never dreamed that she would ever possess such a power and that she would have so many years to use it. Very easily she could do this until her death, whenever that would be.

She was too great and she had been given this gift as if it had only been a bouquet of roses. This though, was far more beautiful and lasted much longer.


	5. Card IV: The Emperor

**Disclaimer: Death Note is the property of Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata. I hold neither ownership nor affiliation.**

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Card IV: The Emperor

The true successors.

The instant that he had stepped into Whammy House he entered the number one position. He was at the top of the list. There was no one who could equal him, who could surpass him. Mello had tried though, that was of little matter to him.

The tests. The classes. None of it mattered. He cared only that the had finished and that there had been some sort of result. This had been no different.

He had finished what L could not. The puzzled had been solved and Light Yagami, otherwise known as Kira, was dead. The case had been solved and he was officially the new L.

The number one detective in the world.


	6. Card V: The Hierophant

**Disclaimer: Death Note is the property of Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata. I hold neither ownership nor affiliation.**

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Card V: The Hierophant

He sought to become something beyond what he was. He used a black notebook to bridge humanity and deity. He sought greatness.

It mattered not how he achieved immortality, how he would become the new god. His arm was long, his power extensive. He cut down those who stood in his path, who stood in the way of his vision. The consequences meant nothing.

Very quickly, though, everything that he had built fell to shambles. The veil was lifted and he was revealed as the deceiver that he had been. He lost his power over those that served him. There was nothing left.

The pillars that had stood crumbled, having been turned, long ago, into false truth.


	7. Card VI: The Lovers

**Disclaimer: Death Note is the property of Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata. I hold neither ownership nor affiliation.**

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Card VI: The Lovers

The first decision was made when he first saw the Death Note. He should have left it where it had lain on the grass. It had ended up in his bag though, and that night the life was taken.

Innocence was abandoned. There was no turning back. At least, that was what he had told himself. Even when he had found himself living the life as the boy that he had once been again, the instant that his hands touched the Death Note again he turned his back on that life a second time.

Misa Amane. Kiyomi Takada. They meant nothing. False loves. Tools. They were like the others who served him and willing accepted his hand. They were just another step, another threshold that was crossed.

It had all been handed to him and he had taken each step.


	8. Card VII: The Chariot

**Disclaimer: Death Note is the property of Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata. I hold neither ownership nor affiliation.**

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Card VII: The Chariot

Each challenge had been met without fear. He would win. He would be successful. There was no room for error. He had come too far to fail.

No one had helped him. Most would say that Whammy House had given him a foot hold, had given him the means to rise up. That was a lie. The orphanage had introduced him to his rival and that was it. Otherwise, that place had done nothing. It had only made him second place. It had made him nothing like his parents had.

His own convictions had brought him to where he was now. It was him that had taken each failed attempt to surpass that albino and turn it into a strength rather than a weakness. He was the one that kept himself moving forward, who kept the title of first in his sights.

The best.

It was within his reach and he only needed to take each plunge as it came.


	9. Card VIII or XI: Justice

**Disclaimer: Death Note is the property of Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata. I hold neither ownership nor affiliation.**

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Card VIII or XI: Justice

The title was claimed by both of them. They were opposing forces, but they both held, what they saw as, the best intent in mind. Justice was what they were or so they believed.

The idea was perverted though, and was contrived from the mind of children.

Immature.

Yet, there was truth in their belief system. One had created his own laws while the other followed both his own laws and those laws contrived by society. Opposing beliefs. Opposing justices. Both were ended.

The true figure of justice possessed them both and through the being the penalty, fate, was dealt.


	10. Card IX: The Hermit

**Disclaimer: Death Note is the property of Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata. I hold neither ownership nor affiliation.**

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Card IX: The Hermit

They laughed. They played. They all strove for one thing.

He joined them only to retrieve the position of first in line. From everything else, everyone else, he withdrew. His thoughts were his chosen companion. The doors were kept closed. There was no sense in giving anyone else entrance. There was no need for anyone else.

In an instant, that all changed. L died and because of his position, he had to emerge as the new problem solver. He was needed. His thoughts, his knowledge, it was all needed.

The time for isolation had past. He had become a leader, established by another's voice.

He was the new voice, the new source of answers.


	11. Card X: Wheel of Fortune

**Disclaimer: Death Note is the property of Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata. I hold neither ownership nor affiliation.**

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Card X: Wheel of Fortune

_Th-dump. Th-dump._

A final breath, eyelids closing and masking empty, black irises. The torch passed on.

One road ended, falling away. From it two more branched. Slowly, they paved their way forward. Specific steps were taken toward a single goal.

This had not been anticipated. He had failed to see it until later when it was in front of him. L had failed to tell him about the two. It had probably been purposeful, just like Ryuk had failed to tell him certain things about the Death Note until later. He had dealt with L though, so he could deal with them.

The new L.

The false L.

The true successor.

_Th-dump._

This would not end with him.


	12. Card XI or VIII: Strength

**Disclaimer: Death Note is the property of Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata. I hold neither ownership nor affiliation.**

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Card XI or VIII: Strength

Handler.

It was a duty that he was made for he supposed. Few others were capable of fulfilling such a role. Most would have given up or had abandoned the role when they realized that they would be the one showing their face to the world in L's stead, that they would be the one in danger.

Maybe it was his military training that had prepared him for such a thing. Maybe it was because he had faced death so much that it no longer frightened him.

Love was what he preferred to think it to be. That was probably one of the many factors.

Preparing children to succeed L when he died, to remain by the young man's side knowing that one or both of them might die, was just one feat. Not knowing what would happen to those children in the orphanage when he died, despite Roger's capability, was an uncertainty that he had to face.

His position put more people than just himself and L at risk. Most others would run away from that.

He knew his duty though.

His path, his life, was not one that he would falter from.


	13. Card XII: The Hanged Man

**Disclaimer: Death Note is the property of Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata. I hold neither ownership nor affiliation.**

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Card XII: The Hanged Man

He had figured it out very quickly. The signs had been very clear, much clearer than the trail that he followed to convict Kira. With each passing day that the case remained open, he became more certain of the fact that he would not solve this case with his life.

It was a sacrifice that he was willing to make though. The moment he had revealed himself to the task force was the instant that he knew that his death would come. Kira was evil and he was willing to give up his own life if it meant that Kira would be put away.

The cause was just.

Even if he did not solve the case, there were those that could pick up the mantle.

There was nothing left to lose, but his own life. Despite this, it was just another case to solve.

One way or another, justice would be passed.


	14. Card XIII: Death

**Disclaimer: Death Note is the property of Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata. I hold neither ownership nor affiliation.**

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Card XIII: Death

Watching the black eyes, of the world's greatest detective, fall close was a great triumph. By his own doing, his own manipulation, L had fallen. He had won. He had defeated him.

The dice had been cast. The Rubicon was crossed.

There was no one to stop him. The world was his to make his own.

The great detective would be mourned. He would play his part and then his plans would resume. Too easily the man would be forgotten and he would finish what he had started.

The king had fallen, his remaining years another's now.

There was no one else. He would allow no one else.


	15. Card XIV: Temperance

**Disclaimer: Death Note is the property of Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata. I hold neither ownership nor affiliation.**

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Card XIV: Temperance

They were both worthy of the title of L. Even if he was the true successor, the burden was one that would be shared. Their conflicting personalities, when merged, would allow for a great power to be formed, a true force to be reckoned with. After all, they had both mastered the necessary wisdom to a fair extent.

Stubbornness kept them apart though. The competition remained even if its absence would have proven to be more resourceful, had more results.

Time brought an end to that though, it was too late. Still, the compromise allowed for victory and for judgment to be passed.


	16. Card XV: The Devil

**Disclaimer: Death Note is the property of Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata. I hold neither ownership nor affiliation.**

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Card XV: The Devil

"Delete."

Another name. Another death.

"Delete."

Somewhere, another individual fell. Their heart stilling, blood freezing, lungs empty after a final strangled breath, the light fading from their eyes. Irises are left dull and empty, later to cloud and become milky white. Somewhere, another soul fled from a withered husk.

"Delete."

He had been chosen. Kira had given him a power that he had only dreamed of. There was nothing left for him to do now. There was nothing left that he would do. This was his destiny, to pass judgment, to be the right hand of Kira, to be death. It was his present and his future.

His past meant nothing anymore. Who he had been meant nothing. That person was gone and he refused to return to that place.

"Delete."

There was only the Death Note and those that were ordained to die.


	17. Card XVI: The Tower

**Disclaimer: Death Note is the property of Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata. I hold neither ownership nor affiliation.**

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Card XVI: The Tower

They were dying. Criminals were falling.

Yes, they deserved to death. Yes, they were monsters, blithe upon society.

The questions still remained. How? Why?

The latter question was more easily answered. Most of society desired for those individuals' deaths. Some, if turned over to the people, would be slaughtered by the mob for their crimes. The sword was hanging over the heads of all those people. It was of no great loss then, that they were being killed.

However, the manner of their deaths was troubling. Was the cause that of the divine judgment of an ancient deity?

Kira was the name that was given to the hand that was bringing about the deaths. As the murders became harder to hid, the world recognized that the doors were being opened.

Chaos was released. The world was made a chess board.


	18. Card XVII: The Star

**Disclaimer: Death Note is the property of Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata. I hold neither ownership nor affiliation.**

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Card XVII: The Star

The Death Note had been a gift. While he had doubted it at first, he quickly saw the doors that it opened for him. He came to see the great possibilities that it offered. The notebook was a key. It was a knife for him to use to chip away at the world until a masterpiece was left.

The world would be a better place. Several had tried to accomplish what he was now doing and had failed. He was not. He would not.

They were all being saved. Though, it required fear, he was conditioning the populace. He was teaching them what had been forgotten. He was teaching them to be good.

A part of him, deep down, knew that his approach was probably not the best.

The goal, an utopia, was worth it. This would come to be.


	19. Card XVIII: The Moon

**Disclaimer: Death Note is the property of Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata. I hold neither ownership nor affiliation.**

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Card XVIII: The Moon

For peace to exist there must be sacrifice. The criminals were dying. Those who threatened him were dying.

At first it was difficult. For a very short time it had felt wrong. That lingered at the edge of his conscious thought. Eventually, that voice was squashed.

Those others in the world shared the same thought. Fear of death and punishment. It kept most silent, the ones who rejected what he was doing. There were some who were driven by those fears though, who turned them into strengths and rose against him.

It was frustrating. Eventually, though, they would all be silent. All that he had to do was continue to watch and wait, intervening only when necessary.

His vision was coming to life. A perfect world would exist.


	20. Card XIX: The Sun

**Disclaimer: Death Note is the property of Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata. I hold neither ownership nor affiliation.**

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Card XIX: The Sun

The killer stood before him. He was self-confident. Light Yagami did not see the grave that he had dug for himself. He had failed to see the trail that he had left that, rather than hid him, further implicated him. He had hid behind the name Kira for too long. It was of no surprise then that when his facade was lifted and he was left bare, that he had run.

Watching him flee, he felt a faint pleasure. He had won. Even though he had known that he would succeed, he still felt some pride in the matter.

What now though? Kira was defeated. Just had been passed. This case had ended in bloodshed though. Some would say that this would be the start of worse things. Blood might also bring about renewal though.

That was only superstition. It was senseless.

Maybe something good would come.

That was unlikely. Death never brought peace. The world would continue as it had been.

The only thing that would come from this was that he would now stand as the one to see through the fear and the lies that blinded the rest.


	21. Card XX: Judgment

**Disclaimer: Death Note is the property of Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata. I hold neither ownership nor affiliation.**

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Card XX: Judgment

L had failed. He had allowed himself to be blinded and it had cost him his life. Some would call it sacrifice. Others would call it a fool's death.

That had been left behind. He had risen to take his spot. He had seen L's mistakes and had learned from them and had used it to his advantage. He had brought Kira to justice and had ended the man's reign.

The world, for all intents and purposes, had been freed. The populace had been able to start again, to live the same lives that they had been living.

With Kira gone, he could have abandoned L's throne. However, there was no one else that was capable of filling it and he was good at being a detective. What else was there for him to do? Puzzles were his forte.

This was not a difficult decision to make.


	22. Card XXI: The World

**Disclaimer: Death Note is the property of Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata. I hold neither ownership nor affiliation.**

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Card XXI: The World

Death. It was a natural occurrence, fated to all beings. It was the completion of one life before the beginning of the next life with the soul's passing into whatever afterlife that it was fated to.

Too much death had occurred during the time of Kira's existence. Both by supernatural and hum hands, the end was wrought onto many.

Those who supported Kira and those who were against him fought, both trying to bring about justice. It was up to interpretation whether or not it was a success.

In a way it could be considered that some lesson had been learned. It was only a matter of using that knowledge now, for better or for worse.

The world had died with Kira and something now was beginning. The cycle was starting over.

For those who were more deeply involved with the Kira investigation, it could only be left to chance if life could begin again. While the case may have ended in success, the results could only be accepted by some.

History repeats itself so was this really a success?


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